My friend, the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Lushkov, friend of the State of Israel and of Jerusalem,

Yuri, I am very happy to see you. You were a friend of Israel and Jerusalem also in different times. I remember you coming to Jerusalem on the State of Israel's jubilee celebrations, and now, on behalf of the Government of Israel, I invite you to be the guest of honor at Israel's 60th celebrations.

The honorable Rabbi Adolf Shaievitz, Russia's Chief Rabbi,
Mr. Arkadi Milman, Israel's Ambassador to Russia,
Mr. Zeev Bielski, Chairman of the Jewish Agency and Zionist Federation,
Mr. Arkadi Gaydamak, President of Russia's Religious Jewish Communities,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I congratulate all the participants of this festive and important event, marking 100 years since the establishment of the Great Synagogue in Moscow.

Former Prime Minister Golda Meir stated that the two most exciting moments in her life were the signing of the State of Israel's Declaration of Independence and her visit to this Great Synagogue, during Yom Kippur's evening prayer.

I can only imagine how exciting it must have been to sign the Declaration of Independence, but today I can understand her exhilaration when she visited this unique place, with its history, culture and profound meaning for the Jewish community of Russia.

Over a period of 100 years, the Great Synagogue served not only as a house of worship for the Jewish people of Russia.  When there were no diplomatic ties between the Soviet Union and the State of Israel, the synagogue served also as the center of Jewish life, a meeting place for Prisoners of Zion and a place of connection between the Jews of the Soviet Union and the Jewish people in Jerusalem.

Thanks to the efforts of Rabbi Shaievitz, the synagogue never closed and never ceased to be the center of Jewish life. It is also thanks to the help of good people, Jews and non-Jews alike, such as Arkadi Gaydamak, Alexander Mashkevitz and Mayor Yuri Lushkov (there are many good things you can say about him, but he's not Jewish), who also helped build this synagogue.  I salute them and all the others who contributed and helped to build the synagogue, renovate it and transform it into this beautiful and wonderful structure.

Today, when the relations between Israel and Russia are good and fruitful and when the connection between Israel and the Jewish community is solid and strong, the synagogue can again be used for its original purposes: prayer, preservation of the life of the Jewish community religiously and culturally, and preservation of this historic site for the Jewish people.

Today, Israel and Russia mark 15 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties.  I arrived here yesterday, at the invitation of President Putin, with whom I met today.  I felt President Putin's friendship towards Israel and his commitment to the security of the State of Israel.  We discussed ways to enhance cooperation between our countries and advance our common interests, particularly against the backdrop of the complex situation developing in the Middle East.

Over the past 15 years, the relations between our countries deepened in every field: political understandings, economic issues, scientific-technological cooperation, and in the field of culture and sports.

The establishment of diplomatic ties with Russia enabled the immigration to Israel of the Jews of the Soviet Union during the 1990s.  To me, this is one of the most important developments in the annals of the State of Israel.

Israel's status as one of the most developed countries in the world, simultaneously with the preservation of its Jewish-democratic character, was made possible – to a large extent – thanks to the massive contribution of the immigrants from the Former Soviet Union, primarily the Russian immigrants.  They made a dramatic contribution to the State of Israel in every field.

The youngsters among the Russian immigrants serve in the army and have integrated in the IDF elite units.  Today, every fourth soldier in combat units is a Russian speaker. Unfortunately, as a result of the fighting in Lebanon and the ongoing and uncompromising battle against Palestinian terrorism, there are also victims.

I am scheduled to meet tomorrow with families living in Russia, whose sons decided to immigrate to Israel and serve in the Israel Defense Forces.  I will meet tomorrow with families who lost their loved ones in our battles to bring security and tranquility to the citizens of Israel.

I have requested that the following people be invited here tonight:

The Rothstein family, who lost their son Igor in the recent fighting in Lebanon,
The Grajdansky family, who lost their son Asaf,
The Ya'akobov family, who lost their son Shimon,
The Furman family, who lost their son Roman,
The Hayat family, who lost their son Alexei,

May the memory of your loved ones be blessed.  I ask the families to please rise.

I invited to accompany me to Russia, two representatives of the Russian immigrants: Knesset members Marina Solodkin and Mr. Ze'ev Alkin, who are here this evening.  They stand as proof of the extent to which the Russian immigrants integrated into Israeli society and succeeded in becoming an inseparable part of it and influencing the policy and character of the State of Israel.  After a brief talk with them, one can understand not only the special way in which they assimilated in Israel, but also their role in strengthening affinity between Israel and the Jewish community in Russia.

I hope that the Jews of Russia will continue to reinforce their connection with the State of Israel, act to strengthen Jewish education and identity, and make Israel the center of their lives. 

Without the assistance and encouragement of the Russian authorities, Russian Jews could never have developed their community lives, preserve the Jewish religion and provide Jewish education and identity to the members of the community, and I want to thank the Russian authorities for their help.

I deeply appreciate the exceptional activity of the Jewish organizations in Russia and the former Soviet Union for rebuilding Jewish life in Russia.  This activity is carried out in full and enthusiastic cooperation with international Jewish organizations, primarily the Jewish Agency and the remaining organizations, and the Government of Israel will continue to cooperate with the activities of all these organizations.

As I stand here to celebrate with you 100 years since the establishment of the Great Synagogue in Moscow, I cannot help but being excited by the intensity of the event.  I personally am of Russian descent; my parents are originally from the Soviet Union.  They came a long way to the Holy Land in order to build a new life and raise a family with a strong connection to Jewish culture and the people of Israel.   When my parents left Russia, they could not have imagined that some day their son would return to Moscow as Prime Minister of Israel in order to share with the Government of Russia and this distinguished audience the strength of the affinity between Russia, the Jewish community in Russia and the State of Israel.

I have brought with me a humble gift for the synagogue on the occasion of 100 years – a Hanukkah candelabrum – symbolizing the light which never ceased to illuminate during all the days of Hanukkah.  May this light continue to illuminate this synagogue, the entire Jewish community of Russia, the State of Russia, the State of Israel and the Jewish people.  May we all have a good, happy and safe new year – here, in the land of Israel and all around the world.

Thank you very much.